So, now Hallowe'en is out the way, we can start thinking about the Most Wonderful Time of the Year!

What is everybody doing for Christmas? Do you follow traditions from home, or Switzerland, or a personalised mix? What is your favourite aspect of the festival?

I am having a Turkey und wine>>>>>> I am also having stuffing ,spaezli , mash potatoes , red cabbage with glazed chestnuts,

I also decided to skip HM the Q Elisabeths X Mass message like I did for the last 54 years,I am a lossy suspect " I Know"

For the longest time, I hated Christmas. Bad karma - my mom was dying all through the holiday one year, and 20 years later I was preparing for my own surgery.

So bah freakin humbug, ya know?

Somewhere in the last 9 years though, I decided I liked the holiday. The semester is over for the husband around the 3rd week of December and he’s mostly free till mid February. We don’t have a lot of family, but it’s a chance to see friends and have some quiet, restful time.

I have a fake Christmas tree with fiber optic lights - psychedelic, wacko stuff and last year I bought a funky menorah to celebrate both parts of my heritage, sort of. We’ll make latkes, Buche de Noel and whatever, and just be glad for our time together with our pup.

No presents, usually one gadgety thing for the house.

But yeah, you’ll notice my holiday is completely secular. Full of funky lights and good food.

Oh no it is not. Christmas begins in December.

Always a mix of Swiss and British traditions in our house. Will spend Christmas with daughters and grandkids and grand-dogs this year- so it will be British/Irish/Lancs in leafy Surrey.

Well, we have Thanksgiving celebrations first, so our Christmas season doesn't start until the first Sunday of Advent.

For now, I'm all about fall colors, mulled cider on a chilly day, turkey and all the trimmins', over-the-hill-and-through-the-woods, and a bit of reflection on that for which we should be thankful.

But both holidays will be celebrated the same way: back home, among the people I love.

This Christmas will start early for me as I'll be hosting 3 lots of celebrations.

My hubby's Swiss Christmas with his family.
British Christmas with our friends and last but not least the big Christmas party on the 19th for the kids at Playgroup.


On the 21st I fly to India for an adventure but will be back on the 31st to go into the New Year with Hubby.

Family, friends, food. All good.

Oldhand - is that your second adventure in India- or you are finally getting there? Wonderful.

I've started my Christmas box and have already bought 3 of OH's presents. Looks like he'll be working again, otherwise we'd be off to Athens. My best mate is visiting for the first week of December, so we'll be visiting lots of Christmas events then, such as Einseideln Christmas market, etc... On the day, I'll be making my Christmas tree spanakopita as OH will have stuffed his face with gyros from Oh My Greek at ZHB several times by then I'll be drinking lots of Glühwein and eating heisse Marroni, Raclette and the mini Christmas puddings that my sis-in-law gave me. I won't be getting the presents that I want every year, again, because all I ever want is 2 cats and 2 dogs regardless of whether it's Christmas or not.

This month I'm grateful for people who don't mention Christmas until it's December, the removal of halloween decorations from shops, and oxford commas.

I'm off home for christmas, straying further from the possibility of a white christmas and swapping it for a proper wet, windy and bone cuttingly cold west of Ireland.
Favourite part, the food including a nicely fattened goose, plucked, stuffed, and cooked upside down. Goose fat goes on to make some beautiful gravy.
Least favourite part is realising how my parents are aging.

awwwwwww. Am sad for you. Bah humbug.

Blue Angel I do so hope your Christmas is realised!! Two doggies and or two cats woud be a wonderful addition to your family! Hoping and wishing your dreams will come true.

Considering I've mentioned Christmas in two other threads today, I obvs heart it...
My first Swiss Christmas was a huge disapointment as we ate something that in North Asia is a common food the other 364 days of the year. add insult to injury my MIL provided rice and soy sauce with my fondue chinoise (only meant for me though)
But I've grown fond of eating it (even though the cream sauces are still a bit weird...)
Opening presents on the 24th took a bit getting used to but who am I to complain about early gifts! (it did mean Christmas the next morning was a bit of an anti-climax)
I do love Weihnachtsguetzli and Christmas markts and I introduced christmas crackers and pudding to my swiss family.

__________________

be the glitch you want to see in the matrix

"a lossy suspect indeed"!

We've found a work-around for that where we open a couple of little presents on Christmas Eve then open the rest of them the next morning.

your solution is very swiss german to me

(however that would be impossible with us...once you start opening one -how could you stop!)

It actually stems from "excited pestering child solutions". Christkindl drops off a couple of early presents then Father Christmas brings in the main haul overnight...

I Know

multiculti christmas gift-bringers! the advantage of having cross cultures